BETHEL -- Christine L. Carver has been appointed the new superintendent of the town's 3,000-student, five-school district.

The Board of Education voted Thursday night to appoint Carver to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Kevin Smith, who left Bethel to lead Wilton schools.

Carver has spent the past two years as associate superintendent of the 4,300-student Newington public school system. Before that, she served four years as assistant superintendent of the New London school district.

Carver will earn $170,000 in her new role. She starts work Aug. 4.

"What drew me to Bethel was its cycle of continuous improvement and its focus on teaching and learning," the 46-year-old Carver said Thursday. "Its program speaks to its commitment to ensure all students are prepared to be college-ready and capable of the challenges they will face in their 21st-century world."

Carver, who is married and has two young adult children, was impressed with the district's approach to students.

"The list of questions they asked showed they had an understanding of the need to teach the whole child, and that defines what the priorities of the district are," she said.

"The board is excited to have Dr. Carver. Her background, skills and experience match up nearly perfectly with our needs," Board of Education Chairman Larry Craybas said Thursday.

Her work in special education, as well as human resources, curriculum and instruction, grants and teacher evaluations, will help the district continue to move forward despite the departure of three school leaders, Craybas said.

Along with Smith's departure, special education director Linda Pica and associate superintendent Janice Jordan are retiring this summer.

Carver received her bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees from the University of Connecticut. She began her career as a special education teacher.

The Board of Education also appointed Danielle Legnard, 41, as the new principal of Berry School on Thursday night. Legnard fills the vacancy created by the promotion of Kristen Brooks from Berry's principal to assistant superintendent of the district.

Legnard, who lives in Bethel with her husband and two sons, worked in the New Canaan school district for 18 years. She began her career there as an elementary classroom teacher before working as a language arts and math specialist. Most recently, she served as the district's kindergarten through fifth grade math coordinator.

"This is a dream come true, an absolute perfect match," Legnard said about her new job.

Legnard has taught math enrichment classes in the Bethel summer school program for the past 10 years at Berry School, so she said she already was comfortable with the staff and the site. She starts work Tuesday.